Artificial Cultivation Methods for Matsutake Mushrooms: This Is How the "Soft Gold" Is Grown

The matsutake is a relatively rare type of fungus today, and its price on the market is also very high. Moreover, the matsutake has relatively high requirements for the growing environment and cultivation techniques, so the annual yield and quality of matsutake are not quite satisfactory. Below is an introduction to the artificial cultivation methods for the “soft gold” matsutake!

1. Building and Turning the Compost Pile

To grow matsutake, the first step is to build a compost pile. The best material for building the pile is sugarcane bagasse if available. If not, we can use corn stalks or wheat straw, sawdust, and rice straw or thatch grass. However, these alone do not provide much nutrition, so we also need to add an appropriate amount of cow dung and similar materials as well as a small amount of chemical fertilizer, mix them evenly, and then pile them together. After about a week, we need to turn the piled material once, which helps the nutrients ferment. After another four or five days, turn it again. A total of five turnings are needed, with each interval being about three to four days. This allows the nutrients to ferment fully, so that higher-quality nutrients can be produced.

2. Filling and Spreading the Beds

After the five turnings are completed, it is time to start filling and spreading the beds. Simply put, this means placing the processed nutrients onto the cultivation beds and spreading them evenly and flatly. The thickness of the nutrients should preferably be about 20 cm. Finally, adjust the temperature of the cultivation room to around 50 to 60 degrees so that the nutrients ferment further. After two days, sowing can begin. Greenhouse cultivation also requires fermentation first, and then trenching and sowing.

3. Sowing Management

For indoor cultivation, we only need to evenly sprinkle the spawn onto the cultivation beds covered with nutrients, then cover them with a thin layer of soil. But for outdoor cultivation, after sprinkling the spawn, we also need to cover it with a layer of plastic film, which can provide a heat-preservation effect. Indoors, we need to ventilate from time to time to keep the indoor air circulating, while outdoors we need to uncover the film about once every three days for ventilation. The purpose of doing this is to maintain the temperature and humidity both indoors and outdoors, so that the matsutake fungus can grow better.

4. Mushroom Emergence Management

Mushroom emergence management means that when the matsutake mushrooms begin to push out of the soil, we must start preparing. This stage is very important, because a single mistake may lead to reduced yield or death. About one and a half months after sowing, the matsutake mushrooms slowly grow out. At this time, we need to water the cultivation beds, then cover them with a layer of plastic film, and uncover it after two days. When they reach three or four cm, watering must stop, otherwise the quality of the matsutake will be affected. At the same time, we must pay attention to controlling the temperature both indoors and outdoors, preferably at around 25 degrees, and ventilate at least twice a day, generally at around seven or eight in the morning and around six or seven in the evening, continuing until the matsutake is ready for harvest.

5. Pest and Disease Control

The matsutake fungus has quite good disease resistance, but it cannot be ruled out that improper management may sometimes cause a certain degree of disease infection. Therefore, in ordinary management, more attention should be paid to details, ventilation should be noted, and any infected matsutake fungus should be removed promptly and disinfected. The matsutake fungus often has pests such as mushroom flies, mushroom moths, and nematodes. These mainly affect the quality of the matsutake fungus, and we can use a blowtorch indoors for irradiation.

The above is Tuliu.com's introduction to the artificial cultivation methods for matsutake. The matsutake fungus is a purely natural, rare, and precious edible fungus. Artificial cultivation is very difficult and may not necessarily yield good returns. If everyone has the intention to cultivate it, they must fully master the cultivation techniques and must not invest blindly.